Accessibility and Handicap Topic program project

Presentation of the accessibility and handicap topic

Accessibility and handicap is everybody’s matter, in all situations, at all levels. That is why for its 2010 edition, LSM made it a transverse topic, to favour contacts between various libre software actors and accessibility and handicap aspects.

Transverse conferences to "go and meet" other topics, centered on the subject of the topic with an accessibility approach. For instance, web accessibility in the Internet session, or an introduction to good practices for accessibility in the Development topic. Such conferences may have several aspects : user testimony, or on the contrary a more technical talk about methods to apply, tools to know, etc.

"Broad audience" conferences, with a permanent booth and conferences or round tables in amphitheaters, to meet the various schedules of visitors. These conferences have two kinds of goals : to heighten public’s awareness of accessibility issues, which everybody will a priori be faced with someday, but also to explain and argument why there can not be real accessibility without freedom. Free software and accessibility are tightly bound and the free software approach has a lot of advantages over proprietary approaches, both from a philosophical and a technical point of view. Indeed, free software already proves its abilities : yes, one can play chess on the Internet while being blind !

"State of the Art" conferences between users and developers, to discuss about what exists to fill users’ specific needs, what works more or less, discuss approaches, …

"Technical" conferences between developers of accessibility solutions (thus not broad audience), useful rendez-vous point in this domain where people work together via the Internet since sometimes long, but who don’t necessarily have the opportunity to meet in real life !

Program project

For now, essentially conference ideas (marked with a " ?" line header), nothing is scheduled yet, any idea is welcome !